How Shall We Then Live - Part Three
(Graduation address continued)
Next, if we want to know how to live, we need to learn that people are more important than our education, our jobs, our success, or our personal pleasure. Jesus said that the law can be summed up this way, "Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself." When we love our neighbors as ourselves, we think of others and their needs before our own.
There is a song written by Harry Chapin that was popular when I was growing up. I heard it again in the grocery store recently. It's called, "Cats in the Cradle". The song is about a father who is so busy with work and bills and responsibilities he doesn't have time to spend with his son. When the son is all grown up and the father finally has found some time to spend with his son, the son is too busy. It's a sad song, because it mirrors what so often happens. Our lives, our plans, our goals, our selfishness gets in the way of the people in our lives.
In February, we lost my brother-in-law to a tragic death. His own son shot and killed him. My sister's world was turned upside down in a matter of seconds. When she looked at the mess of her family and the destruction of her home by the police and investigators who ransacked her house and belongings, she said to me, "Next to God, the only thing that really matters in life is people." My sister lives what she said, and it became apparent when hundreds of her friends showed up to support her on the day of her husband's wake. The lines of people were out the door, and the ushers finally had to close the doors and send people away, because my sister was so exhausted from greeting them. There were over 500 who showed up, and she took the time to speak personally to every person who stepped in the door.
In the days that followed my 22-year-old nephew and I sat in a restaurant sipping coffee and reflecting on the lessons that God was teaching our family. I was telling him how difficult it is to balance all my responsibilites of housework, homeschooling, church and family and still give attention to the people in my life. He challenged me to make people my priority by doing at least one thing for someone every day that is a sacrifice to me, simply because I love them. I took up his challenge, and it has changed my life.
For me, a sacrifice is dropping what I'm doing to help my husband with one of his chores, or listening to one of my children telling me the same thing for the 10th time, or being kind to someone who has been unkind to me without expecting something in return.
If our society, if our world is falling apart, it's because we have forgotten that it is people who make our world what it is. And each perons in this world has value. If we don't invest in others, our soceity will self-destruct.
Next, if we want to know how to live, we need to learn that people are more important than our education, our jobs, our success, or our personal pleasure. Jesus said that the law can be summed up this way, "Love the Lord Your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself." When we love our neighbors as ourselves, we think of others and their needs before our own.
There is a song written by Harry Chapin that was popular when I was growing up. I heard it again in the grocery store recently. It's called, "Cats in the Cradle". The song is about a father who is so busy with work and bills and responsibilities he doesn't have time to spend with his son. When the son is all grown up and the father finally has found some time to spend with his son, the son is too busy. It's a sad song, because it mirrors what so often happens. Our lives, our plans, our goals, our selfishness gets in the way of the people in our lives.
In February, we lost my brother-in-law to a tragic death. His own son shot and killed him. My sister's world was turned upside down in a matter of seconds. When she looked at the mess of her family and the destruction of her home by the police and investigators who ransacked her house and belongings, she said to me, "Next to God, the only thing that really matters in life is people." My sister lives what she said, and it became apparent when hundreds of her friends showed up to support her on the day of her husband's wake. The lines of people were out the door, and the ushers finally had to close the doors and send people away, because my sister was so exhausted from greeting them. There were over 500 who showed up, and she took the time to speak personally to every person who stepped in the door.
In the days that followed my 22-year-old nephew and I sat in a restaurant sipping coffee and reflecting on the lessons that God was teaching our family. I was telling him how difficult it is to balance all my responsibilites of housework, homeschooling, church and family and still give attention to the people in my life. He challenged me to make people my priority by doing at least one thing for someone every day that is a sacrifice to me, simply because I love them. I took up his challenge, and it has changed my life.
For me, a sacrifice is dropping what I'm doing to help my husband with one of his chores, or listening to one of my children telling me the same thing for the 10th time, or being kind to someone who has been unkind to me without expecting something in return.
If our society, if our world is falling apart, it's because we have forgotten that it is people who make our world what it is. And each perons in this world has value. If we don't invest in others, our soceity will self-destruct.
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